One Teaspoon at a Time
by Natsuhiboshi
Summary: Part 2 of 3. Toph takes her wisdom up a notch. "Sit. LEcture time."


One Teaspoon at a Time

"You, me, earth bending, and a lecture. Now." Toph ordered, pointing a finger at Aang. He looked up at her and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked. "Let's go."

Aang chuckled nervously. "The earthbending part I don't mind, but the lecture part I'm not so keen on." he admitted.  
"Look Twinkletoes," Toph said an eyebrow twitching. "Either you come with or I maim you to get you to do this."

"If you maim me I'll be useless."

"Then we'll just have the lecture." Toph retorted. Aang sighed. "Alright. Fine. Earthbending and a lecture."

* * *

Toph pelted Aang with boulders and he did his best to either dodge them or send the back to their master.

"So, Aang, I have a question," Toph yelled over the sound of the ground cracking beneath them. "Do you love Katara?"

"What?!" Aang asked, freezing in place. This allowed Toph to push and pull the earth beneath him to swallow him alive, allowing only his head to be above the ground.

"_Toph_!" He yelled.

She smirked. "Now answer the question, Avatar." Toph could hardly believe that Aang wasn't earthbending his way out of her grasp, but she dubbed that it was probably because he was too shocked to do any more bending.

"Well yeah." Aang finally said. Toph's smirk turned into a smile. "Do you love Sokka?" Aang blinked. "Um… yes."

Toph asked, "How about me?"

"Of course I do!" Aang answered.

"One more question… do you love Zuko?"

Aang flinched but answered yes nonetheless.

"Good." with a flick of her wrist, Toph released Aang from her hold and he flipped backwards, landing gently on his feet. Toph patted the open space beside her. "Sit. Lecture time."

* * *

Sokka watched the arches of water his sister created with awe, which of course he would never admit to her. They were elegant and sparkled prettily in the sun, like strips of starlight.  
He stretched and turned to look at Zuko but stopped short.

Why was the firebender looking at his sister like that? And… was he… was Zuko_ smiling_?

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "**Zuko**."

The amber eyed sixteen year-old reluctantly ripped his gaze away from Katara and to her brother who was glaring fiercely at him. Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked softly as to not disturb the bending girl a few feet away from them.

"Stop staring at her like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you want to eat her."

"I'm not. I'm just observing her bending."

"Is that a code phrase for, 'I'm leering at your little sister.'"

Zuko's eyes flashed. "_Of course not_." he hissed trying to calm the unnatural hammering in his chest.

Sokka raised both his eyebrows. Zuko was blushing. That probably meant that he was leering at Katara. Yet, why didn't it really bother Sokka? I mean he was wary of the whole staring thing, but it didn't bother him as much as when he had caught Haru leering at Katara. And Jet.  
_  
Could it actually be that I don't mind Zuko watching my little sister?_

"What was he staring at?" Katara asked.

The two boys had been so caught up in their own thoughts that they had failed to notice that Katara had stopped her bending.

"Oh," Sokka answered. "Zuko was staring at-"

"-the water." Zuko interrupted. "I was staring at the water."

"Well that's not a whole lie." Sokka muttered. Zuko threw a pebble at his head.

_"Ow."_

"_**Shut up**_."

Katara rolled her eyes.

* * *

It was late and the fire was still going strong. Zuko watched the tendrils of heat reach for the sky, stretching and yawning like Momo in the morning.

It was comforting to see the sight.

He was the only one awake and he didn't really mind; he hardly ever got some alone time now that he traveled in such a tight knit group. He treasured the times he could be by himself, free to think and dream.

"Shouldn't you be asleep? I thought firebenders rise with the sun." Aang's voice was hard and cold, far different from usual.

Zuko sat up, surprised. "I'm not tired."

"You should sleep."

"No, you should."

"I'll be fine."

"Oh really?"

Aang grit his teeth. "You should really sleep now Zuko. We have a lot ahead of us tomorrow."

Zuko cracked his knuckles. "What's happening tomorrow?" the last time he checked nothing was happening. All he knew was that they were going to the nearby town to restock on supplies.

"An Agni Kai, Zuko. You against me. Tomorrow at dawn."

"_What_?"

"You heard me." Aang answered. "An Agni Kai. The winner gets Katara."

In her sleeping bag, Toph grinned.

* * *

**A/N: Dedicated to Sisters-from-Hell.**


End file.
